Spring slinks in

Thursday

Mar 20, 2014 at 6:00 AMMar 20, 2014 at 12:43 PM

Spring starts at 12:57 p.m. today, and unlike most days this month, it will feel warm. Anybody celebrating the season by sitting outside for lunch will still see some old graying snow, however, and if you live north of Worcester the frozen snowbanks may have a new layer of white on them.

By Bill Fortier CORRESPONDENT

Spring starts at 12:57 p.m. today, and unlike most days this month, it will feel warm.

Anybody celebrating the season by sitting outside for lunch will still see some old graying snow, however, and if you live north of Worcester the frozen snowbanks may have a new layer of white on them.

Still, the day's predicted high temperature in the mid-50s will likely produce a major case of spring fever for Central Massachusetts residents who have weathered a winter of below-average temperatures and above-average snowfall.

Maria Martinez expressed the sentiment of many area residents, saying she is tired of winter and desperately needs some spring weather soon.

"Winter has been horrible," she said. She paused and added, "Horrible, horrible, horrible. I want to go back to Puerto Rico. It really made me want to go back. I'm not made for the cold weather and not this cold weather. This cold weather has been ridiculous."

What Ms. Martinez feels in her bones, the record book shows she is right.

Through Tuesday, the average temperature at Worcester Regional Airport was 25.8 degrees, which is 6.8 degrees below average and on a pace to be the coldest March since records started being compiled more than 120 years ago. The coldest March was in 1960, when the average temperature was 26.1 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

"This certainly should end up being one of the top five coldest March's in Worcester, " Channel 5 chief meteorologist Harvey Leonard said Tuesday night.

"I agree. I think that's a safe bet," said William Simpson, a meteorologist in the Taunton office of the National Weather Service.

While mild temperatures are expected through Saturday, the forecast calls for the return of arctic air early next week.

There are signs of the harsh winter everywhere. Nurseries in the area are still closed and more likely to have snowplows in their parking lots instead of spring plants for sale. Snow shovels line sidewalks and driveways and snowblowers remain strategically parked in garages awaiting another snowfall. Only the hardiest of plants are sprouting tiny buds.

William E. Pula, regional director of the Quabbin Reservoir, said rangers will drill through the ice today to see how thick it is. He estimated it is at least 18 inches.

Pula said the plan is stock the reservoir with fish from April 9 through April 11, but he said he doesn't think ice will be melted enough by then for people to get on the reservoir with boats.

Meanwhile, Hank R. Kennen, owner of Pleasant View Nursery in Paxton with his wife, Diane, is getting ready for an early April opening. He says that's usually about the time the business opens.

"Two years ago we opened on March 1, but that was really unusual. Last year and this year are more the normal opening time for us."

Kennan said he believes the ground is frozen to a depth of about 15 inches.

"It could take a little longer to thaw this year, but the thing to keep in mind is that there has been snow on the ground almost all winter, and that insulates the ground and keeps the frost from getting even deeper, " he stated.

People who enjoy spring skiing are going to have an extra long season this year, said Thomas E. Meyers, marketing director at Wachusett Mountain Ski Area.

He said the decision was made to open the ski area the weekend of April 12 and 13, and he added, by the time the season ends the combination of 98 inches of snow and persistent cold means at least a 136-day season, which is almost three weeks more than the average of 117 days.

"It's not that we've gotten so much snow, for us 98 inches is an average snow year, it is just that it has stayed cold for so long there has been no melting. Right now we're on track to have one of our best years ever," Mr. Meyers said.

The sustained cold weather has meant a late start in the season for maple syrup producers, who need days above freezing and nights below freezing to get the sap flowing in their Maple trees. However, Amy Mahler, assistant press secretary for the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said, "Fluctuating temperatures are now perfect for tapping, right on schedule with the end of January to April maple season."

So, now that spring is springing, is there a chance the frigid weather pattern that has led to five straight months of below-average temperatures is going to change?

NOAA's Climate Prediction Center earlier this week issued a forecast that said there is a 90 percent chance that we will see below-normal temperatures through the end of the month.

Up until now, people looking for warm weather have had to be content with feeling warmth inside their cars when they get into them on a sunny day, or the sound of birds singing when they step outside their front door on yet another 8-degree morning.

Mr. Leonard said there is no holding back the calendar, and the strength of the sun can't be denied. He said there are indications the weather pattern could change later next week.

"Whether that is a permanent change or something that is temporary remains to be seen," he noted.

There has been much talk during the past few months about the polar vortex and how it made the weather so cold this winter. The Channel 5 meteorologist said the polar vortex is part of a weather pattern this winter that has driven the storm track so far south that we have missed several snowstorms during the past month. While this area was sunny and frigid earlier this week, Washington, D.C., got about 8 inches of snow.

"For D.C. to get 8 inches of snow in mid-March is really remarkable,'' said AccuWeather.com meteorologist and former Leicester resident Mark J. Paquette.

This winter has been so cold in the nation's capital that the cherry blossoms aren't supposed to reach their peak bloom until between April 8 and 12, which is almost two weeks later than average.

The polar vortex may be a factor in keeping what could be a major winter storm next week to our south. "I wouldn't completely rule it out," Mr. Simpson said. "It will be cold enough and it does appear there may be some sort of an event."

While it has been cold in the East it has been warm and dry in the West.

Mr. Paquette, said forecasting tools used by AccuWeather show a warmer weather pattern setting up after the first week of April.

"Until then you're in primarily a cold weather pattern, and while you may get a mild day, people up there should really enjoy a day like Thursday. I guess my advice for people in the Worcester area waiting for spring is to be patient."

For Ms. Martinez, who wouldn't mind going back to Puerto Rico, she said, "I don't think I should have to go outside if it's anything below 60 degrees outside."

And while winter has been "horrible" for so many, they see the prospect of better days ahead.

"Spring means everything," Ms. Martinez added. "Heat, family time, you can actually walk around without worrying about falling on the ice and getting seriously hurt."

Craig S. Semon of the Telegram & Gazette staff contributed to this story.